Finding a Crumple-Horned Snorkack
by Gryffindor Rat
Summary: After the war, Harry is confused about what to do with his new found freedom. In his worried state, he asks Luna for advice and ends up with the puzzling Crumple-Horned Snorkack being the answer. Sitting alone at the top of the tower, Harry figures out just what a Crumple-Horned Snorkack is, with the help of an unexpectant source. ONE-SHOT, M/M Harry/Draco pre-relationship.


**Heyeveryone, I know I said that maybe I would write another Epic fic, but it just didn't come to me, so instead I wrote a Harry Potter fic, which is my all-time favorite books. It's a New year's fic, to wish you all an amazing year and because I wanted to write this small one-shot. It's VERY short, so be warned! I'm busy with another, longer HP fic, but that will be a HP/GW fc sadly. Anyways, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: J.K Rowling writes amazing books and I would never presume to claim them as my own, so nope, not mine **

**Warnings: this is a Drarry fic, meaning a man-man pairing, so if you don't like that stuff, don't read the fic please. I want no homophobes slandering my story for no reason, in fact, I will wonder if you're not in the closet if you're reading this. Constructive criticism is welcome! Lots of fluff, beware so it doesn't smother you.**

**The rating is only T because I'm entirely paranoid.**

**Anyway, have fun!**

**HPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDM**

It was new year's eve and Harry was sitting at the top of the northern tower, silently watching the pale flakes of snow falling to the earth, forming a soft blanket that covered everything. He could faintly hear the chatter and laughter of students in the castle, joking and celebrating not only the end of a year filled with uncertainty and struggles, but also the promise of a peaceful life without Dark Lord to enslave them.

However, the person who should be among the celebrating throng, the guest of honor of sorts, sat isolated in the cool winter night, lost in his thoughts. It had been a while since he had defeated Voldemort with naught but a shouted Expelliarmus and the allegiance of the Elder Wand, but still Harry wasn't completely free of his shackles.

Sure, with Voldemort dead and Harry of age, finally free from the Dursley's, he could do whatever he wanted. He could finally have that normal life he had always longed for. But it seemed that Fate held a grudge against him and when he finally had that chance, he didn't know what to do with it, didn't know how to live normally.

If he asked Hermione, her answer would be to go back to school to complete his education and maybe finally get back with Ginny. If he asked Ron, he would loudly proclaim to stuff school and join the Auror's training program with him, catching dark wizard after dark wizard. However, Harry didn't ask any of them. Instead, he had asked the one friend who he knew would give him an honest answer, if a bit strange. He had asked Luna.

"Why Harry, that's quite a silly question. You go searching for Crumple-Horned Snorkack's of course. But first you need to get rid of the Nargles around your head. Hmmmm, actually, I think that finding the Crumple-Horned Snorkacks will get rid of the Nargles as well. They get rid of the confusion the Nargles cause." Even as Luna happily skipped away, Harry still wasn't sure what she meant by that. He knew that in Luna's mind, Nargles were bullies or people holding you back in some way, yet he couldn't think of a single such person. Most of the Slytherins avoided him these days, driven back into their secluded groups for fear of prosecution. His friends were quite supportive and he was sure they would support him whatever his decision.

The only people he could think that would take an unhealthy interest in his life is the media and Wizarding populace, but he stopped caring about what they thought when he saw how they believed everything in the Daily Prophet. Despite having no clue what Luna meant by Nargles, he was even more clueless about the Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. He wasn't sure what her definition of those creatures was, since she had never found one, but apparently her father had. He had an idea that if he could just figure out what she meant with that statement, then he would know what to do with his life. Luna was famous for knowing things before other people and for understanding the most complex of situations, but she had a very unique way of expressing herself. The problem was how to figure the meaning out…

The twinkling light of the stars was all that kept Harry company as he gazed up into the universe, thinking of Luna's answer and what he should do now. Yet he was not as alone as he thought he was. In the shadows behind him was a pale figure, watching the ebony haired boy gaze with longing at the sky, as if wishing he could fly away. This pale figure had observed Harry closely since the war, puzzled by the action of The Boy Who Lived Twice, his words and his behavior nothing like the figure had thought it would be.

It was this puzzle that gave the pale observer the courage to step from the shadows and greet the Chosen One.

"Potter." Brilliant verdant eyes widened in shock as the boy whirled around, his peace shattered by the drawling voice.

"Malfoy. What are you doing here?" Liquid grey eyes narrowed at the defeated tone in Harry's voice, not liking the lackluster way Harry had greeted him. He took a bold step forward, lifting his chin in the air.

"What? Am I not allowed up here, O Chosen One? This tower reserved for the sulking sessions of The Boy Who Lived?" Harry's green eyes darkened and narrowed, a spark lighting in them, before it was swept away by a dull haze. He sighed and turned away from the Slytherin Prince, continuing to watch the pinpoints of lights in the sky. Draco felt his face flush from being ignored by his rival and angrily stalked around the silent boy, to plant himself in front of the Gryffindor. Folding his arms, he glared down at the prone figure and opened his mouth to give the other boy a tongue lashing, but the sight of Harry's eyes stopped him in his tracks.

The emerald orbs were sad and heavy, carrying pain and confusion people this young should not feel. Draco himself knew what it felt like, the weight of the war on ones shoulders, so instead of ranting like he was planning to, he quietly sat down besides Harry. A moment passed in silence and Draco began to enjoy the cool breeze, fluttering snowflakes and twinkling stars, all bathed in the luminescent light of the moon. He could feel the warmth emanating from the body besides him, cocooning him and insuring that he didn't freeze in the winter night. The silence was broken with a single question.

"What do I do now?" The pointy Slytherin started at the soft query and swung his face around to watch the raven haired Gryffindor, confused as to why he should know what Potter has to do now. Harry seemed to realize that Draco needed more, for he continued talking.

"All my life I was trying to survive and escape from something or someone. From when I was one year old, till I was eleven, it was my family. My uncle, aunt and cousin tormented and neglected me daily and I was always running and hiding from them. Then I started Hogwarts and I thought I was finally free. Yet since my first year Voldemort has been after me, trying to kill me. Now I finally have that freedom, but I don't know what to do with it. I just-" Harry's mouth snapped closed and he stared angrily at the dark sky. He had no idea why he told that to Malfoy of all people. He and Malfoy were never friends and the git would probably tell everyone about the insecurities of the Boy Who Lived, but it just flowed out. Maybe he just needed someone to unload on, who was not a personal part of it like Ron and Hermione was.

Draco sat silently and Harry was beginning to think he would never say something, when he finally parted his lips. Harry couldn't help but be mesmerized by the graceful curves and arches of those rose colored lips, swollen from Draco biting them to keep them warm. He shook his head slightly and concentrated on the words coming from the mouth.

"Me too. When I was younger, everything I did was to please my father and uphold the family honor. It was ingrained in me that the Malfoy pride and prestige was worth everything, that I should always act in a way befitting a Malfoy. That influenced who I became and how I saw the world. Then, when the Dark Lord came back, everything changed. At first it wasn't so bad. He was just another thing for me to use as a weapon against you, another way to prove the superiority of purebloods. Then came my sixth year.

I was never so scared in my life. Given the task of killing the most powerful light wizard, something even the Dark Lord himself could not manage? All because my father was disgraced. When Dumbledore died, I never felt such hopelessness. Everything was lost, the Dark Lord had won. The next year was a nightmare. The Carrows in school and the Malfoy name mud in the eyes of the Death eaters. I was a coward and just hid, all the while knowing that you were out there, trying your best. And yet I knew I could not do anything, for the Dark Mark on my arm." Draco rolled up his sleeve, gazing disgustedly at the scull and serpent branded on his arm like a slave. And that was what he was. Even with Voldemort dead, the chains of the Dark Mark were not removed. The pale boy snorted and wrenched his sleeve down, trying to rub the moistness from his eyes without the Gryffindor besides him noticing.

He felt a warm hand resting on his shoulder and turned to see Harry gazing at him, not with pity or sympathy, but with understanding. They both turned back to the sky, each contemplating his own thoughts. It was Draco who broke the silence this time.

"You know, a lot has changed since the end of the war. Not just the obvious stuff, but also small details I wouldn't have known before, or recognized. The Malfoy name is not something to be proud of now and the war has broken my parents. No longer do they demand of me to marry a pureblood witch and get an heir. Instead, they just want me to be happy, since they were never happy under the thumb of the Dark Lord. My mother is even very grateful to you for testifying at our trials. I'm… I'm grateful as well. For returning my wand I mean." Harry smiled at him. "Why wouldn't I return your wand. It belongs to you. Plus, I'm happy with my holly wand, it has always worked the best for me." The blond hesitated before he ventured his question.

"Better even than the Elder Wand?" Harry watched him sharply, before relaxing and answering. "Yes, even better than that. The Elder Wand was immensely powerful, but my own holly wand chose me and the warmth I feel when I use it, is completely different than the cool power-filled feeling of the Elder wand or the friendly feeling your wand gave me." Draco nodded and asked another question.

"How did your friends take it when you chose your wand over the Elder Wand?" Harry smiled softly. "They were very understanding. Ron was a bit conflicted over it, but in the end they decided it's safest for me to use my own wand than a wand that attracted so much power-hungry people and blood. I guess if I asked them what I should do now, they would have an answer for me, or at least help me find one."

"How about the Weasley chit? Doesn't she have an idea of what you should do?" Harry's entire body tensed and it took a while for him to answer. "Ginny and I are not together anymore. We were getting back together after the war, but she fell in love with Blaise Zabini. Apparently, he was helping first years who were being tortured by the Carrow's in secret and that earned her respect. I don't blame her for not waiting for me. It's actually a relief, since I don't know where I stand at the moment. I really just want someone who could understand me and what the war did to me. The only problem is that we haven't told Ron, Hermione or any of her brothers yet, though I think that George guessed."

The Slytherin boy was surprised when he heard that. A Weasley with a Slytherin? The one who everyone thought would be one half of the Golden Couple? Draco was shocked to say the least and that didn't lessen when he realized what else was hidden in Harry's answer. "Wait, someone? Not a girl specifically?" Harry was blushing a deep red and turned his head away, mumbling something Draco couldn't hear. He leaned closer, trying to hear what Harry was saying. "-not my fault. I just don't prefer a specific gender, it's the person that matters." Draco felt his body heat up as he processed that information.

He had always had an obsession with Potter, since the small scrawny boy rejected his friendship and that had only escalated with their rivalry in school. It was only in his seventh year, when the fear and anguish was so great and he had to have something to keep him afloat in the midst of the chaos, that he latched onto The Boy Who Lived. Months at school, steering clear of danger, weeks trapped in Malfoy Manor with Voldemort and that horrible snake and all that sparked a small flame of hope in him, was the thought of Harry Potter. It became even worse when Harry rescued him from the Room of Requirement, even after he tried to give him over to Voldemort. Draco began to think of the fire in Harry's eyes, the smile on his face, his rich laughter, the deep tone in his voce when he fought, the victorious and playful glint in his eyes when he caught the snitch under Draco's nose.

It was also because of this careful observation that Draco realized something was wrong with Harry. His eyes clouded by confusion, his brow twisted in a small frown, his teeth worrying at his lips and his hands clenched and fidgeting. It was the reason why he had followed the boy, to try and get that fire going in him again. Draco leaned forward even more and was graced with the startled expression in the jade green eyes as they saw how close he was. The raven haired boy's breath hitched and his eyes flickered between Draco's grey eyes and his plump lips. Draco purposely wet his lips and watched as Harry's did the same unconsciously.

"Wha-what are you doing?" The ashen eyes glanced at the other boy's lips, before he answered. "Showing you that I understand." And with that, Draco gently pressed his lips against Harry's, rejoicing in the cracked and dry warmth of the other boy's lips, despite the snow around them. At first, Harry froze, uncertain about what to do, but when he realized that Draco was waiting for him to make the first move or even break the kiss if he wanted to, he moved his lips hesitantly. Instantly, Draco's lips were moving against his and Harry forgot all about his surroundings.

Draco's chapped lips were massaging his and a warm hand was sliding up his arm to hold the back of his head and neck, gently rubbing the nape of his neck. Draco's other hand cupped Harry's cheek, making sure he stayed where he was. Hesitantly, like a fawn whom was learning about the world for the first time, Harry's own hands crept around Draco's waist, pressing himself loosely against the other. He felt a wet tongue slide across his lips and his lips automatically parted, his gasp turning into a soft moan as their tongues met.

Draco was exploring the warmth of Harry's mouth, sliding his tongue across Harry's teeth, gums and the roof of his mouth, before returning to massage his tongue. He was in heaven, he never thought he would get to kiss Harry. And the best thing was, Harry was kissing back. In fact, Harry's arms were tightening around him and in one swift movement, Draco rolled them both so that Harry was lying on him. A startled gasp broke free from the Gryffindor's lips, but it was quickly swallowed by Draco as they continued their slow, passionate kissing. Draco was sliding his one hand down Harry's back, squeezing his arse before it settled on the small of his back.

Harry had never felt so dizzy in his life. He couldn't think, couldn't move except to experience more of this amazing sensation. As he kissed the Slytherin Prince, he could feel a foreign feeling bubbling up in him, making him never want to let go of the amazing boy in his arms. The kiss conveyed all the answers Harry could ever want. Yes, Draco understood him. Yes, he experienced that same prison. Yes, he would never worship him for his name. Yes, he could make Harry happy. And yes, he would stay with him.

Slowly, they broke apart, panting and flushed as they stared in each other's darkened eyes. Harry planted a quick kiss onto Draco's pointy nose, before hiding his face in the taller boy's chest, not sure of what he should do. He could feel the soft vibrations of Draco's chuckle and the chapped lips pressing against his forehead, before Draco settled back, wrapping his arms and cloak securely around Harry. He was content to stay there and stare at the sky, having the precious cargo enveloped in his arms.

Harry never thought he could feel this way about someone he hadn't even noticed the day before. Wait, no, that wasn't entirely true. Harry had noticed Draco, ever since he had lied in Malfoy Manor about knowing his identity. He had never thought anything of it, just like he never thought anything of his obsession with Draco in his sixth year. It was no surprise that he had some hidden feelings for the pale boy and Harry had no problem with that feelings. After all, it helped clear his confusion and showed him his path.

Sudden fireworks lighted the sky and the two boys could hear the students cheering and clinking glasses. A firework which took the form of a Hungarian Horntail swept through the air and Harry recognized the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes fireworks. Another spelled out _"Happy Voldy-Free Year!"_, while another crackled and spun through the sky, lighting it up in a myriad of blues, reds, yellow, gold, silver, green and any color one could think of. Harry smiled and gave Draco a peck on the cheek, exchanging New Year's wishes and silently wishing this moment would last.

Tomorrow, he and Draco cold talk and think about their friends. For now, they just lied in each other's arms, enjoying the company of the night sky, lighted up with brilliant fireworks.

HPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDM

There comes a time when every person experiences a moment so magical, that it is imprinted upon their souls for all eternity. Those who experience that moment and manage to hold onto it, never hungers for happiness again and live a fulfilling life. There are those, however, that only get a glimpse of that moment, a touch of that feeling, a taste of that mouth-melting happiness. It is these people that continue to search for that thing for the rest of their lives. They live their life trying to catch up to it, experiencing a half-life. That moment which is so bitter sweet, yet the most amazing feeling a person will ever have. There are people that never find it, some that only see it in others around them, some that believes they don't need it... But then there are those who have tasted its sweet touch and attempt to spread it to everyone around them. Xenophilius Lovegood was one such man. However, unlike others, he didn't believe this amazing occurrence to be possible without something to cause it. And so, he named the cause of that amazing feeling, a Crumple-Horned Snorkack, and passed the search for it onto his daughter, Luna, who then passed it along to one Harry Potter. And with the help of that one small push, Harry discovered Love in Draco Malfoy.

**The End**

**There, I hope you guys liked it and I know it was all fluff, but then, I loooove fluff, so whatever. I hope that everyone has a Happy New Year and that 2014 brings all of you amazing opportunities and lots and lots of love!**


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